Calories Burned Walking Calculator

Walking is one of the most accessible, sustainable, and underrated forms of exercise — it requires no equipment, no gym membership, and can be incorporated into daily routines without dedicated workout time. This calculator estimates calories burned walking any distance using MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, calibrated to five different walking speeds from a slow stroll to a fast-paced power walk. People tracking their weight loss use it to account for steps taken during their workday. Fitness enthusiasts planning long walks or hikes use it to estimate how much food they need to bring. Physical therapists use it to help patients understand the caloric value of prescribed walking programs. The result also shows your estimated walk time and calories per kilometre, letting you compare the efficiency of different paces. While a brisk walk burns more calories per hour than a slow walk, the difference per kilometre is smaller than most people expect — covering the distance matters more than the pace.

The formula is: Calories = MET × weight(kg) × time(hours). Walk time in hours is calculated as distanceKm ÷ speedKmh for the selected pace. MET values and representative speeds from the Compendium of Physical Activities: Slow (under 3 km/h) MET 2.0 at 2.5 km/h, Leisurely (3 km/h) MET 2.5 at 3.0 km/h, Moderate (4–5 km/h) MET 3.5 at 4.5 km/h, Brisk (5–6 km/h) MET 4.3 at 5.5 km/h, Fast (over 6 km/h) MET 5.0 at 6.5 km/h. As a worked example: a 70 kg person walking 5 km at moderate pace (4.5 km/h) takes 5 ÷ 4.5 = 1.111 hours. Calories = 3.5 × 70 × 1.111 ≈ 272 kcal. Calories per kilometre is the total divided by distance: 272 ÷ 5 ≈ 54 kcal/km. The result reflects gross calorie burn, the same standard used by wearables and fitness apps.